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Leader of Tampa Bay prostitution ring gets 30 years in prison

 
Peter Kitt was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy for running a prostitution ring in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Peter Kitt was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy for running a prostitution ring in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Published Dec. 13, 2014

LARGO — A St. Petersburg man was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for running a shadowy prostitution ring that victimized women on both sides of Tampa Bay.

Peter Kitt, 42, was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy in October in connection with the case, which involved allegations of sex trafficking.

"For 13 years, this defendant preyed upon women who were not able to really fend for themselves," assistant statewide prosecutor Joseph Spataro said Friday.

"This is just unacceptable," Spataro added. "He just needs to be removed from society."

In a disjointed statement to the court, Kitt denied some of the serious allegations but also appeared to acknowledge some wrongdoing.

"The whole case is just, hmmm. I understand what human trafficking is, but that's not what I did. I understand what sex trafficking is, but that's not what I was doing," he said.

Kitt did allow, "maybe I had rough sex with somebody." And he added, "We've all got to take responsibility and accountability for our actions."

His victims agree with the last part of that statement.

"I carry the scars on my face, I carry the scars in my heart," one of the women said. She added, "He seeks out women that have weaknesses in their lives . . . he seeks them out like a snake and strikes. And he's very good at it."

Another victim said Friday, "I believe in my heart that if Peter Kitt is ever given his freedom, he would definitely rob other women of theirs."

The Times is not naming the women because of the nature of the crime.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Nancy Moate Ley gave Kitt two 30-year sentences, one for the racketeering conviction, one for conspiracy. The sentences are to be served at the same time.

Testimony during a three-week trial indicated that Kitt recruited women from strip joints and street corners in the Tampa Bay area and shuttled them to cheap motels in Clearwater, Largo and Tampa, where he made them work as prostitutes. He gave them drugs to fuel their addictions and demanded the money they made.

Kitt was accused during the trial of choking one of the women who worked as a prostitute; beating another with a belt; expecting sex on demand from some of the women; and sometimes assaulting them. Kitt wanted this violence to be known, so the women would willingly hand over the $100 to $200 they received for sex from customers, Spataro said during the trial.

On Friday, as three of these victims testified during the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Garry Potts questioned each one. They acknowledged that most of the time Kitt had them working as prostitutes, they had their own cellphones and were not physically restrained. For the most part, they did not run away or call police to seek help. Potts said it was a different scenario from the near-slavery conditions conjured up by the phrase "human trafficking."

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Some family members and acquaintances spoke up for Kitt. One of them, Robbie Dunbar, said she shares three children with Kitt, ages 7, 11 and 12. Referring to his portrayal at trial, she said, "I've never seen that person that they described. … He's an excellent father." She also said that contrary to trial testimony, which indicated that Kitt had no income other than being a pimp, he had managed a restaurant and ran a cleaning service.

"We are pleased that this criminal who preyed on women will be off the streets for decades to come," Clearwater police Chief Dan Slaughter said regarding the sentence. The Attorney General's Office and law enforcement agencies worked together, he said, and "because of this cooperative effort, we were able to put an end to the nightmare that these women were living."

Contact Curtis Krueger at ckrueger@tampabay.com or (727) 892-8232. Follow @ckruegertimes.